Lori Meyer
This article summarizes Elizabeth (Bette) Frick’s presentation on style manuals at the Technical Editing SIG quarterly meeting, July 2011.
What role do style manuals play in our success as technical editors? And what must we know to make the best use of style manuals in our work? Elizabeth (Bette) Frick, Ph.D., addressed these and other questions at the Technical Editing SIG July 2011 quarterly meeting. Dr. Frick, an STC Fellow, has been providing editorial consulting services and training for organizations since 1990.
What is a style manual, and how are style manuals chosen?
In the STC Intercom article “Style Manuals: The Politics of Selection,” Dr. Frick and her co-author Betsy Frick define “style manual” as “a published set of standards for the writing of a document.” Style manuals can help achieve standards for conventions such as terminology, formatting, capitalization, punctuation, writing style, reference formatting, and copyright issues.
Many organizations use a combination of published style manuals and internally-generated style guides. Dr. Frick noted that the choice of a style manual is more political than we might realize, because style itself is a choice instead of a commandment. Style choices are influenced by the traditions and preferences within an organization.
Benefits of using a published style manual
No matter what politics are involved, though, Dr. Frick emphasized that style manuals offer several benefits for organizations:
- Someone else has already made the rules, which can provide a baseline for style decisions.
- Style manuals can act as a catalyst for consistency, which can help reduce memory overload and enhance professionalism.
- Use of style manuals can provide quick answers to style questions, saving the organization time and money by helping to eliminate duplication and the need to resolve style issues by “asking around.”
Style manuals in common use
Dr. Frick discussed several style manuals used by editors and writers in various disciplines.
- ACS (American Chemical Society) Style Guide: for scientific information. (http://www.acs.org
) - AMA (American Medical Association) Manual of Style, 10th edition: for medical editing. An online subscription also is available at http://www.amamanualofstyle.com.
- APA: Publications Manual of the American Psychological Association: for scholarly articles and psychology-related topics (http://www.apastyle.org).
- The Associated Press Stylebook: for journalists, also used by marketing and sales writers. Updated annually; online subscription also available. (http://www.apastyle.org).
- Scientific Style and Format: for scientific disciplines. Lengthy style manual (2,000 pages) for scientific disciplines. (http://www.councilscienceeditors.org)
- Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition: Mainly for scholarly publications; does not include anything related to technology. (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org)
- The Elements of Style by Strunk and White: Dr. Frick recommends using this concise, classic reference as a guide to writing more than as a style manual.
- The Gregg Reference Manual: Especially useful for business professionals; recommended for corporate clients. Dr. Frick found answers to some technical writing questions. (http://www.gregg.com)
- Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications: Recommended for those working with technical documentation. A fourth edition is coming soon.
- Read Me First! A Style Guide for the Computer Industry, 2nd edition: A guide originally published by Sun Microsystems (now part of Oracle); useful for technical writers.(http://www.amazon.com)
- MLA Handbook: For writers of research papers. (https://style.mla.org/)
- Franklin Covey Style Guide: Style information related to The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey. (http://www.franklincoveystore.com)
- United States Government Printing Office Style Manual: For those who write and edit government documents. Available in both printed and PDF format. (bookstore.gpo.gov)
In addition to these manuals, many businesses, including Yahoo!, Apple, and Netflix, have their own style manuals that address their style preferences. Technical journals might also have downloadable style guides. If the subject matter you are working with involves s several subjects, you might need to consult more than one style manual.
Customizing styles
Dr. Frick discussed the challenges of customizing styles within an organization, where a client might have strong preferences for specific wording or writing styles, and where consistency might be lacking. She has found tools such as sample style sheets, examples of style conventions, and recommendations of books and websites to be beneficial.
Dr. Frick noted some factors in successful customization of style guides:
- A champion in the organization who can keep a project organized and reach consensus.
- The ability to explain the benefits of customizing the project to the client.
- Both deep and wide knowledge of resources available. You should be familiar with the style guides you use, and be able to communicate their potential value for the organization.
Tips for learning about style manuals and choosing the right one
Style manuals vary both in sheer volume and complexity of the subject matter they cover. Dr. Frick emphasized the importance of knowing what style manuals are available, as well as what types of organizations they serve. To gain this knowledge, she recommends these tips:
- Read reviews of style guides; for example, on amazon.com.
- Find out what style guides are available at your public library, and study them.
- Search Google cheat sheets for reference citations.
Getting buy-in for investing in a style manual
Dr. Frick recommends making a case for savings that result from not having to fix the same editorial issues over and over again. If you can show with metrics how many times you can avoid such repetitive errors, you might be able to build a case for investing in a style manual.
For more information about Dr. Frick’s work, visit her website at http://www.textdoctor.com.
References
Frick, Elizabeth G. (Bette) and Elizabeth (Betsy) Frick. “Style Manuals: The Politics of Selection.” Society for Technical Communication, Intercom, November 2009, p. 9.
Frick, Elizabeth G. (Bette). “Selected published style manuals.” Handout, Technical Editing Special Interest Group Quarterly Meeting, July, 2011.